Month: February 2021

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Released 43 Years Ago Today


Sphinx: Sphinx (1978)

Under the name Sphinx, Alec R. Costandinos and Don Ray released an album with two side-long tunes, Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter, telling the story of the betrayal of Christ. Judas features some monk-like chanting, and a pretty simple ascending and descending theme, but as usual it goes through a bewildering series of tranformations, including what sounds like a bouzouki duel, before climbing to a rousing finale. It's also a good case study in how Costandinos keeps the rhythm section pumping out dance beats no matter how overwrought the orchestra gets. Simon Peter explores similar territory and about seven minutes in, it breaks into the most furious, kick-ass disco you're ever going to hear.

Much like Costandinos' work with Cerrone on Love in C-Minor, I was initially unaware of Don Ray's contributions to this album, but upon subsequent listening it's obvious.

And no doubt because of the subject matter, I don't recall ever hearing it played in the clubs. I only stumbled upon it because it appeared in a full page ad in Billboard Magazine along with Costandinos' other work.

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My Kingdom for a Good Night's Sleep

With the defeat of Donald Trump, we were sleeping better. But then the fire happened and our life was upended. And subsequently to that the older of our two dogs has developed a very annoying habit.

He wakes up anywhere from 2 to 4 am every night and demands to be let out to pee and fed thereafter. He's always been an early riser (typicallly 5 am), but since his trip to the vet in December to address his congestive heart failure and the issuing of medications to combat it, he's gotten earlier and earlier. The vet tech tells us the meds are to blame.

Ben and I trade off taking care of his needs, and for the most part we can get back to sleep rather quickly thereafter, but we've really come to look forward to the weekends when we can sleep in significantly past our usual 6:30 am wake up time after taking care of this daily routine.

We've tried everything: benadryl, melatonin, making sure he empties his bladder before bed, even feeding him before bed, and it makes no difference. Like clockwork the low level growls start just as we're entering the deepest part of our night's sleep.

Bobo is not going to be with us that much longer, a sad fact we've come to accept, and we will miss him mightily. But now we're worried that his early-morning feedings have also imprinted themselves on our younger dog so that even after Bobo has moved on to greener pastures, Sammy will have adopted his bad habits. Fortunately Sammy is still at the point where he can be told NO and it sticks.

It's ugly.
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I think I prefer the beard-in-progress Castiel. But I'd pay to watch Cas and Dean give each other beard burn just with their 3-day scruff…